Girl Dies After Being Shot Along With Parents In North Highlands Home

North Highlands home where a girl, 10, was shot and killed. Her parents were also shot. (credit: CBS)

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) — A 10-year-old girl was shot to death and her parents were hospitalized after gunmen walked up to the front door of a home in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County and started shooting, sheriff’s officials said.

The girl, her 14-year-old brother and her parents were inside their home on the 6300 block of Channing Drive when at least two gunmen went to the door and opened fire around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, said sheriff’s Sgt. Jason Ramos, a spokesman for the department.

At least a dozen shots were fired from at least two guns, Ramos said. The girl’s parents — both in their 40s — suffered non-life-threatening wounds, but the girl died after being taken to a hospital.

“Whoever these gunmen were, they were directly outside the front door of the residence,” Ramos said. “This was not a drive-by, these gunmen approached the house and shot inside.”

The girl was identified as Elvira Campos, though officials did not release the names of her parents. Her teenage brother was in a backroom of the home playing video games and was not hurt.

“Unfortunately they haven’t been terribly forthcoming with information,” said Sgt. Ramos.”We fear there may be more to the story they’re withholding for whatever reason. And the focus has to be who’s ever responsible for this.”

Authorities were asking for the public’s help in identifying possible witnesses, but investigators believe the shooting was gang-related, Ramos said.

“We think another family member has some connections to a gang,” Ramos said. “You have to be hard pressed to think a 10-year-old girl was the intended target.”

Detectives were canvassing the neighborhood and CSI units were gathering evidence at the home Sunday, where a cluster of bullet holes marked a front window and more bullet holes were in the front door and a window frame.

The family had lived in the home in the residential neighborhood in unincorporated Sacramento County, about 11 miles northeast of downtown Sacramento, for less than a year, Ramos said. There were no records of sheriff’s officials being called to the home previously, he said.

“I can’t even imagine what would bring people to do that,” neighbor James Corbett told The Associated Press. Corbett, who lives about three houses down from where the girl was shot, described the neighborhood as quiet, with a “bunch of young families.”

On Sunday morning, about a half dozen grieving relatives arrived at the home, The Sacramento Bee reported.

“We have no idea what happened – she was a very happy little girl,” Tony Reys, the uncle of the girl, told the newspaper. “She was sitting right there in the middle seat.”

Sheriff’s officials were also investigating a separate shooting late Sunday morning that took place not far from the home. They believe it was also gang related. The victim of that shooting — a 32-year-old man —was “definitely a gang member” and detectives were looking at the possibility the shootings may be related, Ramos said.

The victim of the second shooting was shot multiple times but survived the attack.